Hankering for freshly made apple cider and doughnuts? Check out these valley spots

The Highland orchard is one of several in the mid-Hudson Valley seeing an increase in apple pickers as temperatures dip and a feeling of fall sets in. Fred Wilklow, co-owner, provided a tour. Video by Jack Howland/Poughkeepsie Journal
Wochit

The fifth generation of farmers at Apple Hill Farm in New Paltz enjoys a doughnut fresh from the farm.(Photo: Francesca Zani/For the Poughkeepsie Journal)

Living in the Hudson Valley means the seasons have a beautiful opportunity to change. Autumn is likely the best time to celebrate living in this area because of all the local farms that contribute apples, pumpkins and gourds for those eager weekenders and residents.

Beyond picking pumpkins and dodging apples on a hilly terrace you get to enjoy the by-products of the harvest. Apple cider doughnuts and freshly made apple cider are probably among the most seasonal foods to look forward to enjoying at this moment each year.

The valley offers a plethora of options and here is what I found to be some of the best.

Apple Hill Farm

The sweet little red barn turned storefront in New Paltz is where the action begins. Right outside the market stood two women selling apple cider doughnuts stacked on a tiered cake stand. New batches of doughnuts were in the back being deep fried by hand.

One of the best parts of my recent visit was meeting the youngest and most curious fifth-generation farmer, a grandson of the farm owners. The doughnuts were quite cakey compared to some, and the best part about them is they are made with homemade apple cider. Every Friday W.H. Walker & Son's Inc. freshly presses Apple Hill Farm's apples and distributes the cider to them weekly. The cider is made from McIntosh and Cortland apples that grow on the hilly farm. The walk to the top is a bit of a hustle so the tractor loads up families and brings them to the top — some with doughnuts in hand and others just waiting to sink their teeth into a crispy apple.

Wilklow Orchards

It felt like walking into a small fair, with singers on guitars, an ever-flowing market and two ladies behind a screened-in room, pumping out doughnuts while hungry eyes gazed at the sizzling oil, and doughnut after doughnut was perfectly dropped down from the machine. This Highland market even sells gluten-free mini-apple cider doughnuts, which I thought was a great alternative for those with dietary restrictions.

The other part of the scene is Bad Seed's hard cider stand. I wasn't looking for old-fashioned hot cider here, but something a little more straight up. The sweet and hot crispy apple cider doughnut with dry hard cider was the most delicious combination. One bite of doughnut and a sip of cider, then repeat, felt like the perfect pairing.

The overall beauty of the apple orchard in the distance brought together the entire scene.

Locust Grove Fruit Farm

This farm in Milton has a timely presence about it. It’s quiet and small, with groups wandering in and out of the sun-struck orchards that grow 70 varieties of apples.

If you're city-bound and a green market shopper then you may have tried their apples before. The Kent family-owned farm also makes and sells their own cider. When the farm is flowing with giddy children on day trips with their families, Chip Kent and his team crank out apple cider on an old-fashioned cider mill. Other than picking apples and taking a to-go bag of apple cider doughnuts — also made in the barn market — watching the milling of cider is probably one of the best activities to see on a farm. And to drink it freshly pressed is incredibly fresh and crisp.

An apple cider mill at Locust Grove Fruit Farm in Milton is a seasonal attraction.(Photo: Francesca Zani/For the Poughkeepsie Journal)

The six-generation farm will be celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2020.

Meadowbrook Farm Market

En route to Meadow Brook in Wappingers Falls, the small roads turned narrow as visitors found parking spots to pick apples or buy doughnuts.

The farm market sells everything from produce to syrups and homemade apple cider vinegar in jugs, to apple brandy and cider. A chicken coop full of chickens laying fresh eggs was surrounded by fields of pumpkins.

Dan Diesing and his brother use a cider press to mill their apples for cider and then sell the cider in the cutest jugs to take home.

The aroma of doughnuts fills the air as they are fried in large batches in the back of the market for the storefront display.